The blog for CR Inside. Much talk about all things CR Inside...

Celebrate Recovery is prominently featured in the feature film Home Run.

"We have to break the cycle"Burl Cain, Warden, Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola, LA speaks on Celebrate Recovery® and how CR is changing the lives of those on the inside as witnessed through the message of Cory Brandt's life in Home Run the Movie. Check out how you can host a viewing of Home Run the Movie in your facility by clicking here.

I was sharing with John Baker the wonderful work The Lord is doing in NJ and PA through the ministry of CRI. At that time he requested I send him a photo of our CRI leaders holding the award we received from the Federal Bureau of Prisons for being the program that has had the most impact in the lives of the inmates in the history of the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia.

CRI meetings at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, NJ (where we go to every Tuesday) are now 100% inmate led!! Very exciting! The only exception is the Spanish speaking group that I just started last week. But the English speaking group (24 ladies) is now facilitated by two of the inmates that completed the step study last April, showed remarkable progress in their recovery, and we trained to lead the new step study. Our team attends THEIR meeting now! Truly a blessing to see God at work in such a powerful way!

South-Central Regional Editor Marian Collins.

Marian is a State Rep from Texas, and has great love for those inside. She also contributes often to our Facebook page. Read Marian’s bio including her story of her amazing happenings in Texas institutions.

Southeast Regional Editor Bobby Pepper.

Bobby, who by profession is a writer and editor, is also a Ministry Leader at his CR. After you’ve seen Bobby’s bio, you’ll want to be sure to read his article about the first ever East Coast Summit that Bobby covered for us!

North-Central Regional Editor Ashley Gorka.

Ashley, who is also a State Rep, has conducted leadership seminars at Summit, as well as inside. He translates his exuberance and heart for the incarcerated into a wellspring of service. He has been contributing to the newsletter for a few years, and is a great fit as a Regional Editor. Read Ashley's bio.

Northeast Regional Editor Frank Willett

Frank brings his years as a preacher in the pulpit and combines them with his recent exposure to CR Inside, which promises to bring a fresh perspective. Read Frank's bio.

West Regional Editor Darlene Monroe

Darlene’s great skills as a writer and her heart for the hurting is sure to provide us with great articles like the one in this issue, as well as covering a region that CR Inside is well represented. Read Darlene’s bio.

From the Editor

I am so amazed at the phenomenal growth we’ve achieved over the last couple of years and in the last year in particular; I’m amazed and grateful. Grateful to all of you for your support of this newsletter and the ministry to which we’ve been called.

When I first came on as editor in 2010, we had just over 2100 visitors and just over 40,000 hits. 2011 saw us double the visitors and triple the hits to 120,000, while 2012 doubled again, both visitors and hits. This year promises to surpass any expectations we’d have had, with 30,000 visitors to our site and close to A MILLION hits, so thank you.

We are proud to introduce our first group of Regional Editors. This is a wonderful and diverse group, with various backgrounds…some more in journalism, some in prison ministry, but all in recovery, and working on recovery. This is a move that Hector and I, as well as others have prayed over, and we believe that God will continue to bless our efforts if we will continue to be faithful in serving “the least of these” in prisons and jails, and their families. Be sure to read their bios, especially for those in your region, and feel free to contact them through this site. They want to hear from you.